Kaylea Hutson's Blog, page 22

Pausing to pray

I really like the tweets that Weavings sends out periodically each day.

Tonight they posted the following:

RT @Weavings: Pause to Pray: Quiet my heart, O God, that I may hear your still, small voice. Amen.

And

RT @Weavings: Rest in Prayer: Put a new song in my heart, great God, that I may lift your praises all my days.

So how do you listen to God's still, small voice?

How do you let God put a new song in your heart?

Just the thoughts rolling around in my head thanks to Weavings tweets.

No answers. Just rambling thoughts to ponder.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Living life

I love quotes. I ran across this one over the weekend and thought "I've seen it before."

Yep. It was one my aunt gave me several years ago.

It has a message I am trying to recapture into my brain.

Live the life you've imagined.

Although, my thoughts really center around this:

Live the life you imagine God wants you to have.

Maybe it's a milestone birthday in a few days, or maybe it's just been the reflective mood I've been in for a while.

I'm praying God continues to show me the Life I need to Live - and maybe shows me something in a new and unexpected way.

Just something to think about as I put this manic Monday to bed. (Sorry for the 80s flashback - lol I've been singing the song all day thanks to a gal pal who closed an email with it as the tag line).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday Thoughts: Fresh Start

Ahh... the smell of new crayons.

Come on. Admit it.

Regardless of how you felt about starting school again each fall - you looked forward to having a new box of crayons.

Ok, at least I did.

There's something about the feeling of anticipation you get when you open up a new box of crayons.

The smell of freshness, the crisp look of untouched crayon tips, and the amazing possibilities of everything you could create with those 24 (or more) waxy sticks of colored loveliness.

School starts in the next two weeks for most of the kidlets in my life (and for my teacher pals).

Even amid the groans that come with the waining summer, there's an excitement in the air. Teachers are anticipating the new learning adventures around the corner. Students (ok, mainly the kindergarteners in my world) are looking forward to what's ahead at "big kid" school.

My prayer for the kidlets and teachers - and for everyone in fact, is that you open up a new "box of crayons" either literally or figuratively this fall and discover the new beginning or fresh start God has in store for you.

Who knows. Maybe you'll create something new and lovely - and unexpected & God will use that idea to touch someone's life in an amazing way.

So here's to new beginnings and crayons - may we always have an abundance of both!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A few splash-tastic scenes

A few scenes from this week's kidz ministry swim party.....










- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: Shattered Silence (Review)

Cody Jackson moved to a smaller town for a variety of reasons - to get his son out of the dangers of Houston, and so solve the attempted murder of his mentor.

The first day proves one thing: Life is definitely not quiet in a small, boarder town.

As Jackson and local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, work together to investigate a series of murders, they discover that villain in an unexpected place.

This is the second book in the "Texas Rangers" series by Margaret Daley for Abingdon Press. It opens with a murder and keeps moving until it's final page.

What I like: Daley is good at combining mystery, suspense and romance in a novel. The book has just the right mixture of the three elements.

I like how she keeps the villain a surprise - and a wee bit unexpected (it's not someone you first imagine.) She is good at building characters and creating interesting and unique situations.

Another plus: even though it's book two, it truly is a "stand alone" book. If you didn't read book one, you won't find yourself lost trying to catch up with missing dialogue.

What frustrates me: In both this novel and in the first book, Saving Hope, the book moves at a "warp" speed as we find out who the serial killer's identity. But then, it "drops" off. It just ends. The conclusion seems rushed and as if there's something missing.

Jackson is in the town for two reasons - to pull his son away from the influences of his stepfather, and to solve the attempted murder of his mentor. Neither of these two story lines came to a satisfactory resolution.

On the scale of one to five, I give this book (and series) a solid three. The novels are interesting and solid. While they are a wee bit predictable, they are a good read - especially if you are looking for something with the twist of suspense.

More About The Book
A serial killer is targeting illegal aliens in southern Texas. Texas Ranger Cody Jackson is paired with a local police officer, Liliana Rodriguez, to investigate the murders.

While the case brings Cody and Liliana ever closer, the tension between Americans and Mexican Americans heightens. As Cody and Liliana race to discover who is behind the murders and bring peace to the area, what they uncover isn’t what they expected. Will Cody and Liliana’s faith and love be strong enough to survive the storm of violence?


About The Author
Margaret Daley is an award winning, multi-published author in the romance genre. One of her romantic suspense books, Hearts on the Line, won the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Contest.

Recently she has won the Golden Quill Contest, FHL’s Inspirational Readers’ Choice Contest, Winter Rose Contest, Holt Medallion and the Barclay Gold Contest.

She currently writes inspirational romance and romantic suspense books for the Steeple Hill Love Inspired lines.

Online Resources
Buy It At CokesburyFind it At AmazonCheck out Margaret Daley's Website
Download the first chapter of Shattered Silence
My Review of Book 1 In the Series: Saving Hope
Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Net Galley's blogger program. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: The Stars Shine Bright (Review)

What would you do to re-start your life and redeem your career?

Would you put aside your family - your mom who is in a mental institution and your new fiance - in order to go undercover to determine who is fixing thoroughbred races?

Could you live alone, with only your only true contact being an agent that goes from "jerk to genuine friend on any given day?"

What happens when your own life is threatened?

Who will you truly rely on?

In the book description, it's said that book five (this novel) lets Raleigh Harmon walk "through the darkest night of her soul" as she searches for a "place where the stars shine bright."

I think that is a strong description of Raleigh and Sibella Giorello's writing style.

In book five (I've read the last three novels), Giorello continues to craft a strong novel around her central character - Raleigh Harmon - an FBI agent who is learning to live life as a Christian, even as she works through the rough edges of her life.

I said in my last review that Raleigh seems like a "good wine," who was either "aging well as the series progresses, or I'm just enjoying watching her solve crimes and continue to grow in her faith."

I think that's true with this newest novel. It's not easy to read - Sibella's life is not all unicorns and rainbows.

Instead, I think she's a character that many people will identify with. She struggles to live out her faith in the midst of trials. She wants to follow God's plan, but finds it hard to live up to the expectations which swirl around her life.

In all, I think Giorello continues to develop Raleigh as a mulch-diminsional character. This would definitely be a series I would pass along to someone looking for a "clean" alternative to James Patterson's Women's Murder Club.

On the scale of one to five, I give this novel a solid three. It's probably not a novel that I'll read more than once, but I'll definitely pass it along to others.

About The Author
Sibella Giorello grew up in the mountains of Alaska admiring the beauty and nature that surrounded her. She majored in geology at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts hoping to learn more about the landscape she loved back home. From there Sibella followed a winding path, much like the motorcycle ride she took across the country, which led to her true love, journalism. 
She found herself in Seattle writing for rock-n-roll magazine and earned a journalism degree from the University of Washington before heading south to the land of great stories.
In Virginia, Sibella became a features writer for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. It was there she also met her husband and would hear Jesus whispering her name at a tent revival.
Sibella started writing about Raleigh Harmon as a way to keep her love of story-telling alive while staying at home with her young sons. As a journalist and author, her stories have won state and national awards, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize. The Stones Cry Out, the first Raleigh Harmon novel, won a Christy award for debut novel in 2008. Sibella now lives in Washington state with her husband and sons.
Visit Sibella Giorello online at www.sibellagiorello.com, Facebook or Twitter.
Online Resources
Visit Sibella's website here.
Buy The Stars Shine Bright @ Amazon
Read more about The Stars Shine Bright @ The Publisher

My Review of Mountains Bow Down
My Review of Clouds Roll Away
Follow the blog tour here.

It's A Contest!
Win a Kindle Fire from @SibellaGiorello in "The Stars Shine Bright" Giveaway!

Novelist Sibella Giorello is celebrating the release of the latest book in her praiseworthy Raleigh Harmon series by giving away a Kindle Fire! 

Find out what the reviewers are saying here!


One grand prize winner will receive:
A brand new Kindle FireThe entire 5-book Raleigh Harmon series. Hurry, the giveaway ends on 8/25/12. The winner will be announced on 8/27/12 on Sibella's blog!

Just click one of the icons below to enter. Tell your friends about Sibella's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.


As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Litfuse Publicity Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Pixar Alphabet

I think i should file this under makes me laugh

I stumbled across this on Pinterest. Somehow, this person took images from Pixar's work and made an alphabet.

I can't name them all (can you?) but I can name more than I should admit. We will just blame it on those monthly movie nights - right????


Source: the original, original post (not the pin).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Blog Tour: Lethal Legacy (Review)

Kelly Warren is a determined woman.

She knows, deep in her heart, that her father did not commit suicide.She just has to prove it to the authorities.

Taking new evidence in hand, Warren lands in front of Detective Cole Taylor's workload. While he is skeptical at first, further inquiries and some revealing evidence about Warren's past unpack evidence that is surprising and unexpected.

In a style I thoroughly enjoy, Irene Hannon has once again "hit it out of the ball park" with her newest mystery/suspense novel, Lethal Legacy.

Book three in the Guardians of Justice series, this book follows the story of Cole Taylor, the third and final Taylor sibling.

Hannon has crafted this novel with some surprising twists and turns. It pulls in a variety of legal themes - and I'll admit, the ultimate villain was a surprise.

It's a novel based upon the strength of one woman, and the guy who believes her, even when things seem like they are stacked against her.

I really like how Hannon has linked the storyline of the three novels through the siblings, yet each can stand alone as a solid manuscript. (So many times trilogies market themselves as stand alone, but the dialogue contains too many references to the first books to live up to the claim.) 

If you are looking for a solid book to read, that combines suspense, mystery and a wee bit of romance, I thoroughly recommend this book and series. On a scale of one to five, I give it at least a four and half.

More About The Author
Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series.

Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA Awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, a HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award, and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011.

She lives in Missouri.

Online Resources
Read an excerpt of Lethal Legacy here.
Visit Irene Hannon's website.
Buy Lethal Legacy at Amazon
Read my review of book 1 - Fatal Judgement
Read my review of book 2 - Deadly Pursuit

About The Publisher
Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, offers practical books that bring the Christian faith to everyday life.  They publish resources from a variety of well-known brands and authors, including their partnership with MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) and Hungry Planet. For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Blog Tour: Almost Amish (Review)

Sometimes life is like a fast moving merry go round (or at least tea cup ride).

It seems like it is spinning out of control as we rush from one activity to another.

For some women - especially Julie, a busy wife and mom of two teenagers - life can seem overwhelming.

Enter a proposition by Julie's sister-in-law, Susan. She wants to appear on a reality show that follows an "ordinary" modern family as they leave behind modern conveniences and instead, become 'almost Amish.'

The only catch, Susan and her daughter, can't do it alone. So Julie and her children become part of the social experiment (also known as a reality TV show), and move to the Amish country in Tennessee for the summer.

The family - everyone from the teens to Julie and Susan - get more than they bargain for, as they learn to let go of the things that weigh them down, and instead focus on the things that truly matter to them, family, faith and friends.

This novel is different - in a good way. Kathryn Cushman has created a novel that is truly unique - yet pulls from the two "hot topics" in today's culture - the Amish and Reality TV.

I'll admit I was wary about this novel. I accepted the chance to read it on a whim. It's the first book that I've read by the author.

I'll be honest, I read the entire book on the day I got it.

It was an easy read, but engaged my brain (which is quite an accomplishment since I'm still a wee bit tired from my recent, massive VBS program.)

I found myself rooting for both sisters, hoping Julie would find her backbone and Susan would put aside her inner "Martha" and learn from what Jesus said about "Mary" and rest.

I also loved how EVERY major character in the family - including Julie's husband, who stays home in LA for the summer - learns something that changes their life in a good way.

Ultimately, this was a good introduction to a "new to me" author. On the scale of one to five, I give it a solid three.

If you like the Amish genre, or if you are a fan of reality TV, this novel will give you something to enjoy.

About The Author
Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of five novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction.

She is also the co-author of Angel Song with Sheila Walsh. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California. Visit her Web site at www.kathryncushman.com

Online Resources
Find it on Amazon
Download a Reader's Group List of Questions
Read an excerpt of Almost Amish
Read more about the book at the publisher
Read a Q & A with the author.

About The Publisher
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, has been publishing high quality books for 50 years. Recognized as the pioneer and leader in Christian fiction, Bethany House publishes nearly 120 titles annually in subjects including historical and contemporary fiction, Christian living, family, health, devotional, children's, classics, and theology. Bethany House titles are often found on the Christian bestseller lists. For more information visit: http://www.bethanyhouse.com/

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.

Almost Amish (Review)

Sometimes life is like a fast moving merry go round (or at least tea cup ride).

It seems like it is spinning out of control as we rush from one activity to another.

For some women - especially Julie, a busy wife and mom of two teenagers - life can seem overwhelming.

Enter a proposition by Julie's sister-in-law, Susan. She wants to appear on a reality show that follows an "ordinary" modern family as they leave behind modern conveniences and instead, become 'almost Amish.'

The only catch, Susan and her daughter, can't do it alone. So Julie and her children become part of the social experiment (also known as a reality TV show), and move to the Amish country in Tennessee for the summer.

The family - everyone from the teens to Julie and Susan - get more than they bargain for, as they learn to let go of the things that weigh them down, and instead focus on the things that truly matter to them, family, faith and friends.

This novel is different - in a good way. Kathryn Cushman has created a novel that is truly unique - yet pulls from the two "hot topics" in today's culture - the Amish and Reality TV.

I'll admit I was wary about this novel. I accepted the chance to read it on a whim. It's the first book that I've read by the author.

I'll be honest, I read the entire book on the day I got it.

It was an easy read, but engaged my brain (which is quite an accomplishment since I'm still a wee bit tired from my recent, massive VBS program.)

I found myself rooting for both sisters, hoping Julie would find her backbone and Susan would put aside her inner "Martha" and learn from what Jesus said about "Mary" and rest.

I also loved how EVERY major character in the family - including Julie's husband, who stays home in LA for the summer - learns something that changes their life in a good way.

Ultimately, this was a good introduction to a "new to me" author. On the scale of one to five, I give it a solid three.

If you like the Amish genre, or if you are a fan of reality TV, this novel will give you something to enjoy.

About The Author
Kathryn Cushman is a graduate of Samford University with a degree in pharmacy. She is the author of five novels, including Leaving Yesterday and A Promise to Remember, which were both finalists for the Carol Award in Women's Fiction.

She is also the co-author of Angel Song with Sheila Walsh. Kathryn and her family currently live in Santa Barbara, California. Visit her Web site at www.kathryncushman.com

Online Resources
Find it on Amazon
Download a Reader's Group List of Questions
Read an excerpt of Almost Amish
Read more about the book at the publisher
Read a Q & A with the author.

About The Publisher
Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group, has been publishing high quality books for 50 years. Recognized as the pioneer and leader in Christian fiction, Bethany House publishes nearly 120 titles annually in subjects including historical and contemporary fiction, Christian living, family, health, devotional, children's, classics, and theology. Bethany House titles are often found on the Christian bestseller lists. For more information visit: http://www.bethanyhouse.com/

Note: As a freelance journalist, I was provided a copy of this book by Bethany House, a division of Baker Publishing Group. This review was not influenced by a free book - just in case you (or the FTC) were worried about this detail.